Solace
by RisaShootingStar
Summary: What's worse than being lonely? Maybe being a burden. When Lisa pleads to be apart of Sphinx, she's rejected instantly. Trying to prove her worth, Lisa found that she had more strength she ever knew. Not only was she feeling like there was something missing in her life, but Nine and Twelve have a similar gaping hole. Would she be able to help fill in their missing part?


Even just the tiniest of movement, the sofa began to creak and squeak despite how much effort Lisa exerted to make no sound. The sofa was indeed ancient with rolls of lint and fabrics sticking out between the cushions and arm rest. The furniture piece was a faded red-purple that seemed to have shone at some point between its creation and now. The sofa had seen better days but was now nothing but a raggedy object that took up room and should've been thrown out long ago-Lisa found it more comforting than her own bed.

For most of her life Lisa had slept in her room with the constant banging of her door and yelling from her mother as her lullaby. She would listen to her mother begging for her to open the door to show that she was still there, there with her mommy. Ever since her father left, Lisa's mother had begun to rely more on her child that her entire life was revolved around Lisa. At first she didn't mind the constant attention since of course, she was her mother, but then the protectiveness and clinging started becoming problematic. Lisa wasn't allowed to go anywhere despite school, and even then, her mother would walk with her. She was constantly questioned about who she was talking to and what she would do during school. Once Lisa tried to bring a classmate over to her complex in hopes of forming a sort of friendship, but it ended with Lisa's mother running her out of the house. Since then all attempts of forming any bonds with anyone from school ended with rejection or failure. Lisa was outcasted. For the rest of her days, she felt the lonely, empty feeling in the pit of her stomach, gnawing at her insides that would slowly kill her internally. Truly the most heinous way to die; being hurt and broken yet no one can see. Lisa had accepted the fact that she was going to be lonely for the rest of her days, letting the pit in herself gnaw through until she faded away without anyone knowing who she was. She knew that her adventure was over once her mother locked her in a closet one day to "keep her safe." Lisa was going to die with not one exciting experience or truly to place she belonged in.

That is, until she met Twelve and Nine.

When Twelve came jumping into the pool, Lisa felt something inside her stir. She didn't know exactly what was going on but as the cool water leaped up from the pool, Lisa felt something awaken within herself as the danced in front of her. She had seen a smile that shone like the sun, but also found eyes that pierced like ice. Deep down Lisa knew that her life was going to change; she didn't know how or what, but she knew something in her orderly routine was going to shift.

Any other weekday Lisa would've woken up in her bed to the alarm on her bedside. She would've gotten ready for school and carefully walk out the door without waking her mother and walk to school. That was how Lisa usually woke up in the morning, but not today. She sat up on the tattered sofa with a small penguin plush in her hands. Slowly Lisa began to recall the events that had happen, feeling a wave of nausea hit her as she slowly got up. Everything she could recall felt like it was a dream, a daze that was impossible and only in her sleep could she ever imagine such scenarios taking place. But it was real…wasn't it?

"Ah you're awake!" Lisa jumped at the abrupt greeting and fell back into the sofa with a soft squeak. Twelve had skipped over to Lisa's side and leaned against the arm rest. "You know if you like the penguin, you can keep it!" Twelve grinned as he leaned onto his hands, propping his elbows on the arm rest of the sofa. Looking at her hand, Lisa flushed softly as she placed the small toy on the sofa, looking at the ground but with a soft smile. It's been awhile since she arrived at the small apartment, but every morning feels like the first. Though she's already tried cooking for the two hosts, Lisa couldn't help but feel like she needed to do something more to repay the hospitality the two had given her.

"Um. What time is it?" Lisa hoarsely asked, clearing her throat right after as she stood up. Twelve stepped back and began walking out of the room to the main area of the apartment. Lisa turned back to the sofa and straightened out the blanket that she had used and followed after the seemingly happy boy.

"It's almost noon! We're just going to be working inside today, so nothing important to do really." Twelve looked back to Lisa and gave her a warm smile. Lisa's mouth couldn't help but twitch back in return as she stepped into the living space. Near the wall Lisa saw Nine sitting in front of the laptop on the desk, typing things while monitoring surveillance cameras. Lisa noticed the earbuds in his ears, which was something that she saw often and was curious about to an extent. She wouldn't ask though, she was still very intimidated by the taller man. It was obvious from the moment Lisa formerly met Nine that he did not want her around them at all. Despite any suggestions Twelve tried bringing up, Nine would outright refuse to involve Lisa in any of their projects. Lisa felt like she was incompetent and weak; that must've been the reason why Nine would refuse involvement with her. It was true, Lisa was not as experienced as the two boys, but she couldn't help but feel like she needed to make herself useful.

"Uh, good morning..." Lisa spoke up, despite the fact that Nine had his earbuds in. Though Lisa wasn't the loudest person in the complex, Nine pulled out one earbud and turned over to look at Lisa and Twelve.

"Morning." He replied softly as he took out his other earbud and returned to his work. Lisa looked over to Twelve who gave her a giant thumbs up and his signature smile. Smiling back, Lisa took a step towards the working man before stopping when Nine got up from his seat to walk to a different part of the room. Twelve skipped over to the laptop and took a look at the screen, nodding to himself as he moved the cursor to check on other monitors. Turning on her heels, Lisa faced Nine and spoke up.

"I can make breakfast! I know how to make eggs, um, scrambled though, but if you like we can have noodles or-" Lisa winced when Nine stared at her with his icy eyes. It really did feel like she was freezing over, but Lisa maintained her eye contact, holding her breath tightly as she straightened up.

"Shouldn't you be going home now? You're not needed here." Nine replied coldly as Twelve turned to listen in on the conversation.

"But you said I was an accomplice-" Lisa was again silence by the twitch of Nine's mouth and his eyes piercing through her.

"An accomplice, but that doesn't mean you're one of us. You're just going to get hurt." Nine growled in annoyance as Twelve moved over between the two. "She just wants to make us breakfast Nine! No harm in that!" The bright boy grinned, moving to look between Lisa and Nine.

"If it's going to be anything like that dinner, no thanks." Nine spat as Lisa looked down in embarrassment. "She shouldn't be here and you know that Twelve. This was a mistake." The taller boy scolded the other. Lisa could feel the pit inside her swirl around, twisting and making her entire body shake with emotion.

"I…I'm not weak. I want to be one of you!" Lisa yelled out in a volume she hadn't reached in many years. Both Nine and Twelve looked over to Lisa with slightly shocked expressions. While Twelve looked dumbfounded, Nine recovered his composure and frowned at the shaking figure. "You can't. Go home." Nine stated bluntly and moved out of the room. Lisa watched as the tall figure disappeared into another room and began to feel herself tremble. She didn't want to feel like she wasn't helpful. Dragging people behind would mean she was a burden, and that was far worse than being alone. Her stomach growled as she felt her sides ache and her chest grew heavy. Biting her lip, Lisa rubbed her eyes and clenched her skirt as Twelve ran over to her side.

"Hey! Don't worry about him, he's just grumpy sometimes!" Twelve's attempt to comfort Lisa was notably sweet, but was not effective in fixing the swollen feeling inside Lisa.

"I don't want to be a burden…" Lisa bit her lip harder as she trembled, blinking quickly as she took a breath in. Looking at Twelve she couldn't help but see something in his eyes. They weren't icy like Nine's, but they were unique. They were full of emotion and compassion, something Lisa hadn't seen in a long time. "Hey you're not a burden! You're helping out, and you keep us company!" Twelve grinned as he patted Lisa's shoulder.

"B-But I am a burden. And I don't want to be one! So please, let me help! I may not be able to build bombs or work the technology…but I want to do something just so I can feel…feel…" Lisa thought about the world and let it roll of her tongue like a heavy weight. "Useful."

Twelve gave a small, sad smile to Lisa as he placed a hand on his arm. "Hey… It's not that you're a burden or that you're weak, cause you're not! It's just Nine's really uh, careful, you know?" He began, patting her arm as Lisa tilted her head, holding her own arms.

"But I will be careful! I'll work hard, I promise! I just want to feel like I belong somewhere and…and when I'm here with you two I feel, really good…Like I'm at home." Lisa quietly admitted as she looked to the ground. Twelve leaned his head down to look into Lisa's eyes, his face becoming more stern.

"Nine does have a point though…Even if you are really careful, you don't know what could happen. Even if you work hard, you can still di-" Twelve cleared his throat and smiled. "Get hurt." Lisa sighed and looked up to listen to Twelve as he began once more. "It's not that Nine thinks you're weak, or a burden. He's actually scared."

"Scared?" Lisa's eyebrows furrows in confusion. Nine seemed strong and powerful, she couldn't imagine Nine being scared of anything. "Scared because…I might become better than him?"

Twelve couldn't help but burst out laughing, holding onto his knees as he laughed harder. Lisa's face heated up and she flushed, stomping her foot. "S-Stop laughing!" She yelled, tightening her hands.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry! Ahaha! Ahmm." Twelve stood up and wiped his face, running his fingers through his hair as he let out a couple of more chuckles before regaining a calmer demeanor. "No…It's not that, he's scared for you to get hurt. He wants to protect you." Lisa felt like she could laugh at that moment if she wasn't stunned. Nine wanting to protect her? It seemed like he wanted to get rid of her most of the time. "I don't think that's right…" Lisa replied softly, looking to the side again. Twelve merely shook his head.

"I've known him for a long time! He just doesn't want to feel hurt like before." Twelve explained as Lisa mused over the thought. She wondered how Nine could've been hurt before all of this. Since he was human after all, he must've had a weakness that he doesn't want to expose. "Oh!" Twelve exclaimed as Lisa jumped slightly, looking up at the brunette.

"I'm going to go ahead and get lunch for us! And I'll buy ingredients so you can cook later tonight! With help of course! Do you like sandwiches?" Twelve asked as he walked over to a table, grabbing some bills and shoving them into his pocket.

"Um, yes but-"

"Allergic to anything?"

"No, but-"

"Okay see you later!" Twelve ran over to the door and opened it, waving his arm high and smiled brightly at Lisa. "You should maybe talk to Nine, see what goes on in his mind." Twelve gave a wink before closing the door. Lisa sighed as she looked over to the hallway, thinking about what she could possibly say to Nine. Running scenarios in her head, she walked down over to the room where Nine was and took a deep breath, walking inside.

The taller teenager was sitting on a chair, facing a window with his earbuds in his ears. The light was dimmer in the room with the light from the window illuminating half of the space. Before Lisa could say a word, Nine turned around to look at her with his cold eyes. He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose before placing them back on. "What do you want?" He demanded as he took his earbuds off.

"I…I just…" Lisa stuttered before clearing her throat and standing up straight. She took in a few breaths and made eye contact with Nine, hoping that she was looking courageous and that her nervousness wasn't showing through her body language. "I want to be able to be useful. I don't want to be a burden and even if I can't do the same things you two do, I want to help any way possible. I'm still an accomplice and I want to show you I can stay here." Lisa pursed her lips tightly after her spew, feeling a sense of bravery rush through her.

Seeing that she was nervous, despite her attempts to remain composed and strong, Nine knew that he shouldn't push Lisa harshly and what she had said to him was sincere. He couldn't help but sigh though, looking to the window before looking back to the awaiting girl. "It's not that you want to be useful or not, we just can't let you get involved." Nine replied, turning his body to the side.

Lisa frowned deeply, as her hands balled up to her side. "If I get caught, I won't say a word at all! I promise you I'll be loyal and I won't reveal anything!" She explained quickly, feeling the pit in her stomach turn like an unrest ocean.

"No, it's not that. That doesn't have anything to do with it. So please, listen, just leave." Nine turned his back towards Lisa, checking his earbuds. Lisa felt her face heat up as she felt herself boil up. Her unrest ocean now felt like a volcano ready to burst.

"Then what is it? What do I need to do to prove myself?" Lisa began to plead desperately. She didn't want to go back to her old life. She didn't want to wake up in the morning feeling empty and go to sleep with the lull of her mother's screaming. Lisa would rather wilt away on the street than to go back to the life she once knew.

"Drop the subject and leave. You don't-" Nine abruptly stopped talking, staring down at his hand as felt his head throb. Flashes of yellow and red swept through his mind as he began to recall snippets of his own past, causing his head to feel like it was ready to burst. Holding onto his head, Nine curled over and groaned in pain. Lisa gasped softly and ran over to his side, being careful not to touch him in case he would react badly.

"Nine? Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Lisa panicked as she looked around the room for anything that could help. Nine groaned again and stood up quickly, causing Lisa to step back. He tried to move past her but she refused to let him leave the room. "Please! Nine you should lay down! Let me help!" She took ahold of his arm.

"NO!" Nine snapped at her and took both her arms. He gripped her biceps and stared at her, his eyes piercing through her. "Don't you get it? You can't help! And we can't help you! It's dangerous Lisa, we're dangerous to be around, you're going to get killed and I-I won't let that happen! I won't see more friends die before my eyes!" He shouted fiercely as he gripped her arms harshly. "Do you know what it's like? To see people you know leave and you can't do anything to stop it? You're going to get hurt…then I'll get hurt. Twelve as well. You don't understand what we've been through. We can't afford to give our hearts out." Nine panted out before letting go of Lisa's arms. He took in sharp breaths as he pushed his hair back from his face, looking up to Lisa who was in a daze.

Looking towards the ground, Lisa bit her bottom lip as she quivered. Nine couldn't help but sigh as he removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes. "Lisa I'm sorry-"

"I know how it feels." She started, moving her head up to look at Nine. "I know what it feels like to see people leave." It was then Nine's turn to stand there, dumbfounded. "I've seen my father leave, I saw him walk out of my life. Then I saw my mother leave me. That day the light in her eyes left and she was nothing but an empty shell… I've lost people, and it makes a giant hole in you. But, but isn't it worth it to try and fill it? And to feel whole again?" Lisa asked softly, holding her hands to her chest as she stared at Nine. Remarkably, Nine understood what the usually timid girl was saying to him. He did feel like there was something inside him that wasn't complete… It was the whole reason he and Twelve began the whole Sphinx project.

"Heh…Out of everyone in this city, you were the one that came to us." Nine began to chuckle softly as he held his face, groaning irritably. Rubbing his head, Nine began to chuckle louder. "Interesting is it? That someone like you came to us. But it's still a risk, and if something were to happen to you, after we let you in and you become precious to us, we would…we would-" Nine was interrupted by two arms wrapping around him. Lisa embraced Nine gently, but securely, leading to a soft gasp from the taller person. Nine felt something in his chest stir as Lisa held him close and in return, she felt her own stomach simmer. Swallowing hard, Nine wrapped one arm around the smaller girl before placing his head on top of hers.

"It's okay…Because it doesn't matter what happen, it'll be worth it, right?" Lisa asked softly, leaning her head on his chest as she blushed softly.

"…Right." Nine sighed softly, knowing that eventually there would be a time where his plans would be compromised and their safety would be in jeopardy. But for now…this feeling was warm. The hole that dug deep inside the two slowly began to repair itself; the feeling of emptiness was fading, being replaced with something else, something that was important. This moment was precious and nothing could ever-

"Room for one more!" Twelve yelled out as he ran into the room, wrapping his arms around the two in a clumsy manner, pushing all three of them. Lisa yelped and Nine quickly regained his balance. Twelve only smirked playfully as he embraced the two of them fiercely. "Told you it would be good to talk to him!" The boy smiled brightly to Lisa who couldn't help but return his sunny face.

As Twelve began talking again, Nine squirmed out of the hug and everyone stood up, fixing themselves. Twelve held out the bags he bought from the store and what sandwiches he ordered. Though it seemed like they would go back to their quiet routine, Lisa felt herself slowly being filled with something warm and comforting. Not just her, but the entire room seem to illuminate with a kind of calming and heartwarming aura. Not only had Lisa's life changed for the better, but all three had found something that they needed. Something to mend the emptiness that pierced through them from the insides. Though one day the glass might break again and destroy them, they took the opportunity they had now and cherished each other, finding solace where they least expected.


End file.
